Artistically speaking, there may be no better case for disaffection from the Christian music industry than Sam-nee' Leslie Phillips. Fan Dance, her fifth album as Sam, finds her song writing, and husband T Bone Burnett's production, reaching new levels of experimentation and sophistication. As he hinted at on his last solo album a decade ago, Burnett has crafted for his wife a nigh perfect brand of what may be best described as chamber pop. Sometimes psychedelic and mantra-like hooks shimmer gauzily through largely acoustic instrumentation: guitars, cello, harpsichord, banjo, selected and minimal percussion. Drones and extended decays of tones are implemented to create atmospheres of longing and dreamy reminiscence to complement Phillips' lyrical obfuscations.
Not everywhere is Ms. Sam Burnett (as she refers to herself in the liner notes) so cryptic as she sounds in "Fan Dance" and the Lao Tse-quoting "Five Colors." "Love is Everywhere I Go" is a breath of melancholy peacefulness that, were it overproduced like much of her pre-Turning CMI work, would sound at home on evangelighetto radio. "Below Surface" acknowledges "Noah's God," destroying the world so she can find life, a dark nod to the Almighty not out of M. Heard or U2's lyrical realms. Only "Is That Your Zebra?" -- where Sam utters some prepositionally indicative words over pleasant guitar strumming -- feels like filler, but even Pet Sounds had "Sloop John B," right?
Not "hard" like this mag's readers usually define it, but Fan Dance is pop of a difficult variety. That she can get a writer to use "difficult" and "pop" to mean the same thing in one sentence is credit enough to her.
Other coverage for this album
The Rebel Base 2002Reviewed by Josh HurstThere are some artists who seem to have all the luck. They score hit single after hit single, sell out stadiums, get their own TV specials, and strike platinum. Often all this is done with little or no talent. Then there are some artists who are doomed to obscurity. They play second fiddle for their whole career, virtually unknown to the masses. Much of the time, these artists are the ones with…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Ken MuellerThere has been a lot of press surrounding the new offering from Sam Phillips, as she returns from a brief attempt at semi-retirement (this is her first album of new material since 1996's Omnipop). Most of the talk has been about the change in direction from an electronic sound and to a more organic, acoustic approach. To be honest, the first listen through this disc was a bit disappointing. With…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Jeffrey OverstreetIn "Say What You Mean," the scorching closer to Sam Phillips' new album Fan Dance, Phillips sings: I'll be desperate I'll be lonely but I won't be ashamed No isolation no terror unnamed... She's talking about the price, and the reward, of telling the truth. She might be addressing her younger self, who struggled for the freedom to do just that. Trapped in the Christian music industry of the…Similar sounding releases
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